Buddhist Stup The History Behind The Stupa

I have chosen to create a Buddhist stupa. The stupa comes from an ancient religious structure. It is seen as a very sacred place for worships for Buddhists. The design of these stupa’s are also made to guide towards that Path of Enlightenment. These structures, although simple in structure, have many complex and unique meanings. The symbolism in these structures is well thought out and extremely important to the overall design. The history behind them is also very important to the modern structures. The history behind the stupas goes back thousands of years. The basic structure is simply a mound, which were made of dirt and rocks used to bury important figures. The death of Buddha was what made these stupas become something of more importance.

This box is referred to as a “Harmika”. It is thought to be the “dwelling place of the gods”, according to some (Shambhalamountain). This is typically the location of relics or other objects. It reminds that stupas are meant to make offerings practice certain beliefs. (Shambhalamountain) Perturbing out of the cone is what is referred to as the “Life Stick”. Prayers and carvings are made to the wood and it is placed in the Lions Seat, where it will go through the entire stupa and come out the top. (Stupa) The Kiri Vehera is said to have been built on the spot where Buddha gave a speech and teaching. It is believed that the king at the time, King Mahasena, met Buddha and was present for this teaching. At the location where Buddha spoke, the king had the stupa built out of a sign of respect and thanks. Some believe the stupa has the gold chair the Buddha gave his teaching, as well as a lock of hair and a royal sword used to cut the hair. Several renovations have taken place over the years, most recent ones were in 1912 and 1970.

The Kiri Vehera sits upon a base 10 feet of the ground. The base of this stupa is a square. This square base is often referred to as the Lion’s Seat. It has symbolism of the states of mind needed for enlightenment, the four states being love,compassion, joy and equanimity. Each is needed to obtain enlightenment, which the buddhists strive for. Leading up to this Lion’s Seat is a series of steps, symbolizing the advance the mind has to take for enlightenment. (Stupa) The remainder of the structure is similar to the others explained, having the dome, circle, cone and jewel. The jewel is at the top of the cone at the top of the structure. (Detongling) Choosing a stupa was an easy choice. Since I studied the Buddhist religion in high school I have been fond of it. The catholic upbringing I had was too much for me to want to follow it anymore. It involved many years of studying religion everyday and church on the weekends that made it too much to appreciate anymore. While studying the catholic religion I was lucky enough to have a world religion class. This was where I was introduced to Buddhism. The non theistic aspect was one of the easiest things for me to cling